Vegetable peeling machine



July 30, 1935; w. L. LAlB 2,009,627

VEGETABLE FEELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l zzy] I W0g??? July 30, 1935. w. L. LAIB 2,009,627

VEGETABLE FEELING MACHINE Filed Jan. 22, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Jigg. ifM/ m Patented July 30, 1935 "oirso STATES PATENT OFFICE ApplicationJanuary 22, 1931, Serial No. 510,364

3 Claims.

The invention relates to that class of vegetable peeling machinesdesigned for peeling potatoes and other vegetables by subjecting thesame to the action of abrading means to effect the re- 5 moval of thepee'lings.

The principal object of the invention is to pro vide a simple,economical and effi'cient vegetable peeling machine.

A. further object of the invention is to provide an improved vegetablepeeling machine comprising a receptacle or container having abrasiveinner side walls for holding and frictionally engaging the vegetables tobe peeled and provided with an improved power-driven rotative abrasivedisk having alternate high abrasive surface portions and relatively lowabrasive surface portions which merge into each other gradually alongtheir adjacent margins, and having protruding non-abrasive bosses whichproject upward above the level of said relatively high abrasive surfaceportions, for stirring and causing potatoes or other vegetables to beturned over and carried outward in contact with the abrasive surface ofthe disk, and upward in contact with the abrasive inner surface of thewalls of the container in such a manner that the surfaces of I thevegetables are subjected to an abrasive action which is as nearlyuniform as possible, to effect the removal of peeI-ingsof uniformminimum depth and thickness and the separate re'-' moval of the peeledvegetables and peelings' from the container with facility, whereby wastewill be reduced to a minimum and a compact machine requiring the'minimumamount of power and floor space relatively to the capacity of themachine will be obtained.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear from thefollowing description and claims, and from an inspection of theaccompanying drawings which are made a part hereof.

The invention consists in the features, com- I binations, details ofconstruction andv arrangement of parts as hereindescribed and claimed.In the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 is a view in central verticalsection of a container and rotative abrasive disk of a vegetable peelingmachine constructed in accordance with my invention, with themachineframeand lower part of the machine omitted;

Fig, 2 is a planview of the rotative abrasive disk shownin Fig.1; I I vI Fig. 3' is a view in transverse vertical section taken onirregularline 3-3 of Fig. 2' looking in the direction indicated by the arrows andshowing aplurality of integrally connected nonabrasive protruding bossesin elevation and embedded in the abrasive material above which theyproject; r

Fig. 4 is a view in transverse vertical section taken on line 4-4 ofFig. 2, looking in the di= rection indicated by the arrows; Fig. 5 is aview in vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3 looking in thedirection indicated by the arrows and showing the contour of a por tionof the disk and of a nonabrasive projection or boss; and

Fig. is a diagrammatic view illustrating the relative variations inheight of the top surface portions of the disk circumferentially. Inconstructing an improved vegetable peeling machine in accordance with myinvention, I provide a receptacle or container 1 having'uprightpreferably cylindrical metallic outer walls- 2 which are supported upona main frame 3 having a base or legsnot shown-said frame being providedwith an enclosed gear chamber 4 in which the driving gear 18, 2a andmotor 99 for operating the machine are by preference mounted andenclosed. The container 5 is, by preference, provided with a lirnng 5formed of abrasive material, such for example as concrete and finelydivided granular carborundum intermixed in-suitable proportions while ina plastic moldable condition and formed into a cylindrical upright innerlining 5 within and in rigid engagement with the upright metallic walls2 of the container. The uprightcylindrical walls are adapted to surrounda rotative abrasive disk 6 which is rotatively' supported in the lowerend of and adapted to form a rotative bottom for the container ortreating chamber 1, for supporting and manipulating the potatoes orvegetables to effect the removal of" the peelings from the vegetablesand the separate removal of the peeled vegetables and peelings from thetreating chamber or container. The rotative disk 6, by preference,comprises in its construction a flat circular metallic base 5 having anupwardly projecting peripheral flange 9' and a central depending hubiti,said 5 flanged base and hub being fixed to a vertical rotati-vedriving'shaft or spindle l I, which. is journaled in a suitablestationary bearing it forming by preference, an upwardly projectingcentral integral partof a cup-shaped stationary base or fixed bottommember E3 of thexcontainer. Said cup-shaped. base I3 is mounted upon.the machine frame 3 and is by preference,- provided with an outwardlyprojecting peripheral rim l4 which surrounds the bottom of the uprightcylindrical of u container walls 2, said base 13 being securely held inplace upon the machine frame by means of an inner annular flange i5which engages the inner edge of the top rim of said machine frame 3,thus forming a strong and rigid unitary structure. A bottom chamber 13is thus formed beneath the rotative disk 6 for receiving the wastematerial or peelings and the water and liquid discharged from thetreating chamber in the operation of peeling and washing the vegetables.

A ball bearing 28, which may be of any ordinary well-known or suitableform, is by preference, interposed between the rotative hub is and thestationary bearing member 12; and suitable driving means is provided forrotating said spindle and disk. Said driving means may be of anyvdesired, well-known or suitable form. For ex ample, a beveled gear i1having a hollow inverted cup-shaped or bell-shaped body i8 is fixed tothe bottom of the shaft H and operatively connected with a suitablesource of power, such as an electric motor i9 which is mounted under thebell-shaped body It of said main driving gear ii and provided with atoothedv pinion 29 fixed to amotor shaft 2| and in toothed engagementwith said gear 57.

A main body or lining 22 of the disk 3-for which the metallicperipherally flanged supporting base 3 forms a casing or metallic outershell is formed of abrasive material. For example, a suitable quantityof concrete and finely divided carborundum intermixed in suitableproportions in a plastic moldable condition is introduced and firmlyunited in rigid adhesive engagement with the metallic base 8 andsurrounded by the peripheral metallic flange 9.

The said abrasive main body 22 of the said rotative abrasive disk 6 thusformed comprises one or more alternate relatively high preferablysubstantially flat-faced sections 23, and one or more relatively lowdepressed preferably fiat sections or abrasive surface portions 24. Theadjacent margins of all of said alternate high and relatively depressedsections 01' abrasive surfaces merge into each other gradually alongfront marginal lines 25 of each depression in parallel relation to eachother; the rear margins 25 of said depressions and the adjacent frontmargins of the adjacent relatively high sections being also bypreference parallel and on opposite sides of the axial center of thedisk. The peripheral segmental margins 26 of the depressed abrasivesurface portions or sections 24 are inclined upwardly and outwardly andgradually merge with relatively higher flat marginal rim portions 21 ofthe abrasive main body portion of the disk. The entire peripheral marginof said abrasive main body portion, of the disk is by preference flatand flush with the flat upper surfaces of said sections 23 and alsoflush with or slightly above the level of the toprim of the surroundinperipheral metallic flange 9.

A plurality of metallic protruding bosses 28 and 29, formed bypreference in pairs which are integrally united by a relatively low ordepressed integral connecting metallic portion 30 and provided withintegral recessed bottom margins or rims 3| and integral inner uprightweb portions 32, are firmly secured in rigid engagement with themetallic base by means of headed bolts 33 which extend through suitableopenings in the depressed body portion of each pair of said metallicbosses and are anchored in the base 8. The metallic bosses 28 and 29 areby preference mounted and firmly secured in position upon the metallicbase before the abrasive main body portion or lining 22 is formed. Afterthe upwardly projecting bosses 23 and 29 are secured in their properpositions upon the metallic base the abrasive material or concrete andfinely divided carborundum intermixed in a plastic moldable condition isintroduced and formed within and in adhesive engagement with the flangedmetallic base 3 so as to surround the metallic bases 23 and 29 which arefirmly embedded in the abrasive material.

The metallic bosses and abrasive material being firmly united serve tohold each other rigidly and securely in operative position.

The exposed upwardly projecting portions of the metallic bosses are bypreference rounded at their margins and smooth and nonabrasive, andproject upwardly above the level of the peripherally flat upper mainabrasive surface p01- tions 23 of the abrasive main body 22 of the diskapproximately midway between opposite relatively depressed sections orlower abrasive surfaces 2 i. (See Fig. 2).

A discharge opening 34 is provided in the stationary wall of thecontainer for permitting the discharge of the peeled potatoes orvegetables from the treating chamber; and a door 35 is hinged at its topmargin and provided with an inner lining 38 of abrasive material of thesame kind as that which forms the abrasive lining 5 for closing saiddischarge opening. The abrasive lining 36 of the door is flush on itsinner side with the inner abrasive surface of the stationary abrasivelining 5; and said discharge opening and lined door extend downward toor below the level of the adjacent top peripheral margin of the rotativedisk, so that there will be no obstruction to interfere with the passageof the potatoes or vegetables over the flat topped peripheral margin andflat upper abrasive surface of the rotative disk and directly throughthe discharge opening when the door is open. A chute 3'! extends acrossthe bottom of the discharge. opening and is provided with side flangeswhich project upward on opposite sides of the door; and a drain passage38 leadsdownward and inward at an incline from the lower margin of thedoor and inner margin of the bottom of the chute through the stationaryabrasive inner wall 5 and into the bottom chamber I3 located below therotative disk and between the concave or cup-shaped stationary bottom [3and said rotative disk, for receiving the peelings and waste materialand water discharged from the treating chamber. A discharge spout 39fixed to the stationary bottom l3 of the container leads from thechamber I3 for discharging peelings and other waste material and liquidfrom said chamber. V

From the foregoing it will be readily understood that when a quantity ofpotatoes or vegetables to be peeled is introduced into the treatingchamber and the power-driven rotative disk 6 is set in motion therotative disk, with the elongated rearwardly and outwardly alignedprotruding nonabrasivebosses 23 and 29 and the alternate high andrelatively low depressed abrasive surface portions of the diskconstructed and arranged as above described, thelpotatoes or vegetableswill come in contact with said alined protruding bosses which will causethe potatoes or vegetables to be rolled or turned over and over andforced outward in contact with the abrasive surface of the disk andupward in contact with the stationary abrasive surface of the innerlining 5 of the container walls progressively and continuously andrepeatedly during the rotation of the disk until the operation ofremoving the peelings from the potatoes or vegetables has beencompleted.

It is found in practice that the relatively larger potatoes orvegetables tend to move to the top and that the relatively smallpotatoes or vegetables tend to move to the bottom of the mass during theoperation of the machine and that any potatoes or vegetables which areallowed to remain in contact with the abrasive surface of the disk orthe stationary inner lining of the container and particularly thesmaller potatoes will become flattened unless kept constantly in motionand turned over repeatedly, thus causing an excessive quantity orproportion of the potatoes or vegetables thus becoming flattened to becut away and wasted. Such flattening and cutting away and wasting of thepotatoes or vegetables is minimized and in effect practically eliminatedby the reciprocal cooperative action of the elongated obliquely disposednonabrasive protruding bosses and the alternate high and relatively lowor depressed abrasive surface portions of the rotative disk and theoblique position of the margins of the alternate high and depressedabrasive surfaces relatively to the direction of rotation of the disk,The removal of the peelings cut to a uniform minimum depth or thickness,with facility and great economy of time, and floor space required, isthus accomplished, and a machine having the advantages of great economyin construction and operation is obtained.

I claim:

1. In a peeling-machine of the character described, the combination witha container having an internal wall of abrasive material, of an abrasiveflat top surface disc rotatively mounted relative to said container toconstitute the bottom thereof for the support of articles to be peeled,there being depressed areas in the top surface of said disc to presentupstanding abrasive walls to sustain the articles against the internalabrasive wall of the container while reacting therewith, and a pluralityoflobes or bosses on said disc surface to serve as elevators ofthearticles, said depressed areas and lobes being arranged and spaced onsaid disc for more uniform and direct abrasive reaction with saidinternal container wall and disc responsive to the latters rotation. I

2. In a peeling machine of the character described, the combination witha container having an internal wall of abrasive material, of an abrasiveflat top surface disc rotatively mounted relative to said container toconstitute the bottom thereof for the support of articles to be peeled,there being depressed areas in the top surface of said disc to presentupstanding tangential- 1y disposed abrasive walls to sustain thearticles against the internal abrasive wall of the container whilereacting therewith, and a plurality of lobes or bosses on said discsurface to serve as elevators of the articles, said depressed areas andlobes being arranged and spaced on said disc for more uniform and directabrasive reaction with said internal container wall and disc responsiveto the latters rotation.

3. In a peeling machine of the character described, the combination witha container having an internal wall of abrasive material, of I an.

abrasive flat top surface disc rotativelymounted relative to saidcontainer .to constitute the bottom thereof for the support of articlesto be peeled, there being depressed areas in the top surface of saiddisc to present upstanding tangentially disposed abrasive walls tosustain the articles against the internal abrasive wall of the containerwhile reacting therewith, and a plurality of non-abrasive lobes orbosses on said disc surface to serve as elevators of the articles, saiddepressed areas and lobes being circumferentially spaced relatively toeach other on said disc for more uniform and direct abrasive reactionwith said internal container wall and disc responsive to the lattersrotation.

WILLIAM L. LAIB.

